


Erinnerungen

by Maleun_Kangajii



Category: The Caligula Effect (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Reincarnation, Swearing, Temporary Amnesia, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, Vomiting, extremely slowburn, slowburn, tfw you're reincarnated and get amnesia before remembering everything from your first life, the characters have traumas they need working through, we stan chibi vocaloid knock-offs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:20:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25873498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maleun_Kangajii/pseuds/Maleun_Kangajii
Summary: That day was supposed to be like any other. She was only supposed to move on from the first year to her second, and was chosen as the class representative to welcome the new first years. This was normal, and everything was fine. And yet the voices in her head, the onslaught of memories of a life that could only be her own, a pixie-sized humanoid, and someone who had just graduated returning as a first year seemed hellbent on convincing her otherwise.
Relationships: Original Female Character & Everyone, Original Female Character & Original Male Character, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Shogo Satake/Original Female Character
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> At the beginning of each chapter I'm gonna include any possible trigger warnings for that specific one because the additional tags don't apply to the whole fic
> 
> TW panic attacks, TW vomiting, TW graphic description of what happens when you jump off the top floor of a burning tower, TW death mention, TW blood

She had expected for that day to be just like any other when she had woken up for school, eager to move on to the next grade.

She watched as Kashiwaba Kotono gave her speech to congratulate the third years on finishing their school lives, and wished them well on their journeys, wherever their lives would take them. This was normal, and everything was fine.

She watched as Hibiki Kensuke gave his response as the representative of the graduating students, thanking Kotono for her kind words and promising that he and his fellow graduating students would do their best to make Kishimai High School proud. This was normal, and everything was fine.

She was called forward to give a speech, welcoming the new students with wishes that they would come to see Kishimai as their second home away from home, and wished them luck with their studies. This was normal, and everything was fine.

The new first years sent up their class representative to give his response- but hadn't Kensuke _just_ graduated? Why on earth was he back, and as a first year no less? This was not normal, but everything was still fine.

She watched as Kensuke made his way up to the stage, his footsteps echoing loudly to her ears and her ears alone, the light reflecting off of his glasses in a threatening manner. Suddenly, a mask of some sort had glitched its way into appearance over his face. Of course, this had startled her into looking out into the crowd, hoping that what she had just seen was just a figment of her imagination. This _should_ be normal, and everything was still fine.

How unfortunate, then, that with the appearance of Kensuke's mask, about half of the students' faces were glitched beyond recognition. And with that, memories that had been buried deep within her subconscious reemerged with a vengeance.

Watching your family die to protect you the stress of having to lead at so young the scent of flesh burning the betrayal of someone you thought you could trustjumpingoutawin dowtosaveyourselfandthefe elingofimpactasyouhitthegroundallofy ourbonesshatteringendingwith nothing

It was to everyone's surprise but herself that when Kensuke had finally arrived at the podium and asked if she was okay, her response was to throw up on him and run away, feeling nothing but the sensation that _'This isn't normal at all, everything is not fine-'_ followed by _'I have to get out of here.'_

She continued running until she reached the station, completely ignoring the concert that was happening behind her held by µ, and tried opening the door to the station. She was stopped, however, by a force field that pushed back everytime she even slightly leaned against it.

Even though this door lacked the ability to open, it was fully equipped with a mirror, allowing her to get a full glimpse of herself and- that was not her in the reflection. She distinctly recalled that she had waist length dark blue hair and violet eyes, and was short. Whoever it was she was staring at had shoulder length white hair and green eyes, and was taller by a solid twenty-five centimeters. Just to test if it _was_ actually her, she lifted a finger and poked her cheek, watching her reflection do the same.

"There’s no way this is the real world. I-It can’t be- why would I want my appearance to change _this_ much- ohmygodohmygodohmygod-"

"Stop! Wait!" A voice called from behind her, cutting her off from another panic attack. She watched in the reflection as µ dropped down behind her, making her turn around. "Hello there! Long time no see!"

"Long time no- what are you _talking_ about?! Let me out of here!"

"Sorry… I've only made the city so far, so you can't use the station yet. Besides, I promised not to let anyone out of here."

"Who did you promise?! I want to have a word with them about kidnapping people and holding them hosta-"

"Hmmm…" µ frowned in worry, ignoring the taller female. "But I've erased your memories, so you shouldn't even think about leaving Mobius… Did something happen that you didn't like?"

She stared incredulously at the other girl who- now that she thought about it, was actually a virtuadoll. And that made her wonder how she knew that when "virtuadolls" didn't exist where she was from. _'Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa wait second can we please back up to the beginning of that sentence?! You can erase memories?!'_

 ** _'Well…'_** she thought blankly. **_'That explains the breakdown I just had.'_**

"If you tell me what it is, I'll be able to help you fix it." µ offered, unaware of the thoughts swimming through the woman's head.

"You can help me?" The woman asked, surprised yet cautious. The virtuadoll had unknowingly handed over useful information about herself, like the fact that she had created… Mobius, and could apparently erase people's memories. She had to tread carefully, lest she end up on the singer's bad side.

"Yup! I made an entire half of Mobius! That's the real name of this city, though most people just call it Miyabi. Anyway, that's why I can do all sorts of special things for you here." µ winked. "You noticed that Mobius isn't real because there was something strange or something missing, right?"

"... Right." Isn't it normal to realize that something was wrong when the same guy who just graduated is a part of the group of new first years?

"Hey, so, what do you want? How can I convince you to stay here forever?" µ asked excitedly.

 ** _'Be careful, ____. If you make her angry there's no telling what she'd do.'_** She paused in thought. **_'What's going on? Why don't I remember my name?!'_**

 _'What does it matter about something as simple as a_ name _when you have a possible god talking to you asking for what you want?! Say something, stupid!'_

"I dunno, a boyfriend, I guess…" She scratched her cheek nervously as she berated herself mentally. _'Of all the things you could have asked for, you choose a_ lover _?! I get it, you were like 15 or something when you decided the best course of action to escape a burning building is to literally jump off the highest floor because you didn't want to risk dying due to being burned alive or something like that and it's a goddamn miracle you're still alive! Granted you must've had like- tons of broken bones due to the height but still!'_

 **_'That's going off the assumption that you even survived a fall from that height. You_ ** **know** **_how tall that tower was.'_ **

_'So what you're saying is I'm dead?!'_

**_'I'm only saying that you should keep an open mind. In any case, µ just attempted to summon a boyfriend for you. Focus.'_ **

"... Did I creep you out?" µ asked, seeing the weirded out look on the woman's face. "I guess it doesn't work on people that can see the rift, after all…"

"I guess not." The woman shrugged.

"Hmm, this won't do… Do you really want to go home?"

_'If I try to leave and it turns out I'm dead then would I just disappear? Cease to exist? Would everything fade back to black and I would be nothing?'_

**_'But think about it this way. If it turns out I'm actually still alive when I try to leave then it's better than spending the rest of my days here.'_ **

_'You know what? That's fair.'_

"I… _think_ so? Not quite sure yet." The woman frowned.

"I'm really sorry," µ apologized. "I was told that I can't just do that…"

The woman wisely kept her mouth shut as her thoughts ran wild.

_'Weren't you the one who just said that you created half of Mobius?! Who's telling you that you can't let us go, the one who created the other half of Mobius?!'_

"µ!!!" A voice shouted as a glowing yellow aura flew towards them, a small human at the very center.

"A-Aria?!" µ asked, almost surprised at the other person's appearance.

"µ! Quick, disable the Mobius loop! We're going home to the Metaverse-Es, okay?"

µ backed away from Aria, looking to the sides for a way to escape. "N-No, I can't…! I made a promise with everyone!"

"H-Hold it… µ?!" Aria asked in surprise as µ flew off.

"Hey, you!" The woman withheld a groan as she turned to face the crowd that had formed without her knowledge. "I dunno what you said to her, but µ's gone and it's all your fault!"

 _'Why am_ I _getting blamed for it? It's all the chibi's fault!'_

**_'You're a more convenient target than someone who's the same size as your whole hand.'_ **

"You got in the way of our prized concert… you're gonna pay for that!" The same male shouted.

"It looks like we're in trouble," Aria noted, floating behind the woman. "Do you think maybe… we should make a run for it?!"

Seeing the crowd advance towards them made the woman agree, and the two of them took off.

_'Why are you running away?! You totally could've taken them all on!'_

**_'No. That was the same attitude that got your mother and brother killed. Don't be stupid and keep. Running.'_ **

"Hey, over here," a man hissed as she had stopped to catch her breath.

"Huh?!" Aria exclaimed before diving into the women's skirt pocket, the latter trapped in her own mind.

A large army, the scent of blood corpses littering the ground worryforyourmot herwhoyouknewbyallmeanscouldtakecareofherselfbutstillt enyearoldyouwasanidiotwholackedtheabilitytolistensonowyourmothergrewdistra ctedenoughtogetimpaledbyaspikeandyourbrotherquicklyfollowedtoprotectyouandnowthey'rebothdeadandit'sALLYOURFAU-

Huh? Did this man just…

"Urgh… Damn, you're hard-headed…" the man held his forehead in pain. "Well? Are you calm now?"

"What the actual fu- kind sir I was in the middle of something you can't just _interrupt_ me like that!" The woman scowled, rubbing her forehead. "What if I reacted violently, huh?"

"C'mon. We need to run." The man ignored her as he grabbed her wrist, starting to tug her after him.

"Uh… right." The woman nodded in agreement, pulling her arm back slightly to get this man to _let go of her_.

And with that, they were off, ducking into one of the back alleys to catch their breaths.

"Phew, that was close," the man sighed in relief. "My name is Satake Shogo. As I'm sure you've noticed, we attend the same school."

_'Yeah no shit. It would be surprising if we weren't attending the same school considering this is the only one built in this not-real city.'_

"I take it everyone around you has started looking strange, yeah?" Shogo asked, ignorant of her inner thoughts.

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"I knew it. Don't worry, though. I can see all that weird stuff, just like you."

**_'Well that's reassuring.'_ **

_'At least there's_ someone _on my side, right?'_

"The truth is, I came to help after I saw you booking it from the entrance ceremony."

"So, you saw…"

"You throw up on Kensuke? Pretty sure the whole school did."

_'Well shit the entire school saw us throw up on a dude time to hide in a hole forever.'_

**_'Don't be overdramatic. All you have to do is apologize to him at a later date.'_ **

_'Yeah but the problem_ is _I'm pretty sure he wants nothing more than to kill me for noticing this world isn't real.'_

"We'll need to find a way out of this mess for now and head over to where my friends are." After he finished his sentence, Aria flew out of the woman's pocket. 

"Friends?" She asked, ignoring how Shogo took a step back in surprise. "You mean there are people other than you two who've noticed what's going on in this world?"

"Who is this?" Shogo looked at the flying chibi. "... wait. Are you with µ?"

"I'm not!" Aria shouted, making the woman take a step back from the volume. "Well, I am, but… urgh! I was, but now I'm not, okay?!"

 **_'I think I'll need my ears checked after that dear_ ** **lord** ** _.'_ **

_'That's your only concern? She could've alerted those crazy bastards that were after us of our location!'_

"Sh-She might be small, but she's got a damn loud voice." Shogo winced. "Look, just be quiet! We don't want to get caught by-"

"I found them!" _'Shit!'_

And just like that, they were cornered.

"Tch. Like I was saying." Shogo looked between the two students that blocked the way out of the alley.

The students' bodies were surrounded by a purple glow before they became glitched and broken, much like the masks worn by half of the students at the entrance ceremony.

_'What the fuck is that?! Human anatomy doesn't work like that… right? Right?!'_

**_'Calm down. Remember how this world isn't actually real? This is likely a result of that.'_ **

"Damn it, there's no way out! I won't forget this, shorty…"

"I-I couldn't help it! Volume is vital for us virtuadolls! Either way… we're in a pretty rough situation now, huh?" Aria floated up to the woman's ear to whisper. "I dunno if this'll work… but I might just have to take a risk on you. Listen up, okay? I'm gonna bring out the power you need to fight them off!"

"... doing this isn't going to result in my death, is it?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

"It shouldn't if we're careful. Now, why did you come to this world? Tell me!"

"Why's that important?" The woman drew back, her mind racing.

"There's no time to explain! Some part of your life in the real world was bringing you pain, right?" Aria asked as the area around them became white. "Nobody understood you, you didn't know what to do, and you just wanted to escape, right? Tell me! I'll accept everything!"

The woman looked around in bewilderment before facing the virtuadoll. "I… can’t escape my past."

Aria almost growled. "That's not enough! I need to hear EVERYTHING."

The woman gripped her upper arms tightly, her nails digging into the flesh. "It hurts just thinking about it…"

Her voice grew gentle. "That's it, keep going."

"Are you sure you want me to? It might be a bit much."

"Nobody else can hear you right now… I'll accept all of your pain…!"

The woman took a deep breath. "Everything… my appearance feels _wrong_ my voice feels _wrong_ they contradict with what my memories are telling me is the truth… are they even telling me the truth? Am I just living a lie or is there something missin- there has to be I don't even remember my own _name_ is there something wrong with me?!"

Aria listened with a calm smile, waiting for the woman to finish. "Now, tell me. You have a wish, don't you? It's okay if it's something embarrassing or even shameful!"

 **_'It may not be the true reason you were sent to this world, as you don't have enough information and your memories are lacking… but solely based on the memories you_ ** **do** **_have… what would you wish for so strongly that you'd be willing to go to a fake world just to have it come true?’_ **

_‘But what if the reason why I’m here is directly linked to my lack of memories?’_

**_‘Then that’s your wish, isn’t it?’_ **

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I… _wanted_ to forget?"

_'Gee thanks me from however long ago I came to this fake world. Thanks for that.’_

Aria nodded sagely. "That must've been tough for you… You were holding that inside yourself this whole time…! But you're okay now. I'll turn all that pain and suffering into your strength!" She floated up to the woman's face and wiped a tear away. When did she start crying? "Do you feel that? Your emotions are welling up inside you. They're trying to break out of their physical shell!"

"There's a _lot_ of emotions there. Are you sure I'm not accidentally gonna destroy Mobius?" She gave a watery grin.

The virtuadoll waved her off. "Don't worry about your surroundings! Just let all that emotion vent out of you! Here we go…!"

 _'It's not supposed to_ hurt _, is it?!'_

"Are you ready?! Goooo liiiiiive!"

Her sleeves were torn near the wrists, showing off that her hands had turned black and merged with the dual pistols she now weld, there was a small spike impaled through her left breast and a larger one through her stomach… all in all, the day went from mildly bad to _worse_.

"Wh-Whoa… what in the world is that…?" Shogo looked at her in bewilderment.

"It's what's in _your_ heart! It's _your_ power, a power that can't be found anywhere else in the world!"

"Is it supposed to hurt?" She winced. "I can deal with it but holy _shit_ this is uncomfortable."

"Now then, time to fight back! Show us what that heart of yours can do, okay?" Aria cheered from the sidelines.

"Alright then, boys," she smirked. "Let's dance."

Now, she was pretty sure she had no idea how to actually fire a gun, much less two of them that were half her size, considering in her memories she trained pretty exclusively with a sword, but the two pistols were surprisingly intuitive and she made quick work of the male fanatics.

"They're not… _dead_ , are they?" She asked as Shogo approached the fallen students, all of the effects of her 'power' disappearing.

"..." He knelt down to check their pulses. "Looks like they're still alive."

"Mmhmm." Aria nodded. "Don't worry. They'll come back to their senses in a little while."

 _'Alright cool I was_ not _ready to become a killer at age who-knows-what.'_

**_'That's not what you thought earlier as you gunned them down. Also I'm fairly certain you're roughly in your late 20s right now.'_ **

_'Oh great so I remember how old I am but not my own name? What kinda fucked up universe is this?'_

**_'If you actually do meet up with Satake-san's friends and explain the rough details of your situation one of them might be willing to tell you.'_ **

"What the hell was that weapon?" Shogo demanded, looking at Aria.

"Hmm, where should I start… you know how humans internalize everything, right?"

The poor man just looked confused. "You lost me already, but sure. That sounds right."

“Well people use things like reason and principle to tuck all that muddy stuff away in the safety of their hearts. But in this world, there’s no need to suppress anything! So it all comes spilling out. When the dark mud bursts out and takes on an irregular form, it turns its host into a hostile creature called a Digihead.” Hearing this, the woman froze.

 _‘Oh shit you’re telling me I had a chance of turning into one of…_ them _? Fuck fuck fuck holy fucking shit w h a t.’_

**_‘I would call you out on being vulgar but that’s a very fair reaction.’_ **

“So those things that attacked us just now were people who lost control and don’t care how they’re perceived anymore.” At Aria’s nod, Shogo continued. “In that case, why am I not like them? I don’t sense anything similar from her, either.”

“Because you’re aware of the existence of the real world.” Thankfully, Aria’s explanation pulled the woman out of what was surely going to be another breakdown. “Your reason is getting in the way of your emotions coming out.”

“... So you’re saying we’re still cowards. That others’ perceptions still rule us.” Shogo reasoned.

“I highly doubt that’s-”

“Exactly!” Aria smiled, cutting the woman off. “That’s why you can stay under control. The heart is extra-powerful here, and you need an equal force to oppose it. That’s where the tuner, the wonderful Aria-chan, comes in! When your heart’s about to run rampant, I can stabilize it!”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “And that has to do with me getting this power… how?”

“ _That_ came from me helping you control the explosion of emotions coming from your heart. So I borrowed some words from the human language and called it the Catharsis Effect. What do you think?” Aria twirled in the air and posed, giving the two humans a wink. “Pretty good, right?”

“Catharsis… the release from strong, suppressed emotions, right? I think I’ve heard a doctor use the term before…” Shogo shook his head, pointing at Aria. “And what the hell are you?”

“I’m a virtuadoll, like µ. I came to take µ back to the Metaverse-Es. µ and I went on sale around the same time. We became friends as we drifted through the sea of information in the Metaverse-Es,” Aria explained.

“Oh… There _was_ a virtuadoll named Aria, but I don’t remember it being this small…” Shogo squinted at the small virtuadoll.

“So, what exactly is this ‘Metaverse-Es’?” The woman asked.

“It’s this network!” Aria grinned. “We combined the word Metaverse, which means virtual reality, with Es, the German word for the term Id.”

**_‘The primitive and instinctive component of personality? You know what, that makes a lot of sense.’_ **

_‘And whatsat mean for us “unintelligent” folk?’_

**_‘Life or death instincts, to put it plainly.’_ **

“Look. Y’know how you humans put out all kinds of info online? It’s not all good… Greed, anger, anxiety, fear, hate, lies… A lot of songs people made for us were based on those emotions, so it's easy for me to feel the pain they’re going through. In the Metaverse-Es, everyone’s various emotions are mixed around. You could say that it’s like your subconscious. µ and I wanted to do something to help everyone to get past that pain… but µ started acting weird.” Aria frowned.

“It seems like you’re telling the truth that you’re with µ… but also aren’t.” Shogo scratched his head. “There’s a lot I don’t understand yet, but I’ll accept that for now. I have a few more questions to ask, though.”

“That’s all fine and dandy but could we maybe pick this up later?” The woman looked around. “We don’t know when another one of those ‘Digiheads’ will show up.”

“Staying here _is_ dangerous…” Shogo mused. “Aria, was it? Does that work for you?”

Aria nodded so fast the woman thought her head was going to fall off. “Mhm! I don’t have anywhere to go right now, so I guess I’ll go with you guys!”

“Is there a safe place we can talk?”

“Yeah, at school.” At the woman’s indignant stare, Shogo raised his hands up in surrender. “People tend to overlook what’s right under their noses. We can continue talking there.”

“Then by all means, lead the way.”

And so the woman and the chibi were led back to the school and onto the second floor, where Shogo stopped in front of a classroom and turned to look at the two.

“This place is our hideout,” he announced, gesturing to the room.

“The music prep room…?” Aria questioned with a small frown.

“All the music in this world is software-generated, so nobody has any interest in old instruments. It’s the perfect place.”

_‘Seems a bit… quaint? Boring? What’s the word I’m looking for?’_

**_‘Don’t be rude.’_ **

“For now, let me introduce you guys to my friends. While we’re at it, I’ll also teach you how to avoid Digiheads.”

_‘Why on earth would I want to avoid Digiheads when I can- very easily, mind you- beat them up to return them to normal?’_

**_‘Take on too many at once and you may be overwhelmed. After all, as of right now you’re the only one with this power.’_ **

“-ou need it.” Shogo offered.

_‘Fuck. What was the beginning of that sentence?’_

**_‘We could have heard him if you weren’t so insistent on being a smartass.’_ **

_'Oh wow you_ can _get that stick out of your ass. I'm surprised.'_

“If they’re gonna do that much to help you, why don’t you try joining their group?” Aria asked, floating up to the woman’s ear. “It’s probably safer to stay close to folks who are in the same situation as you. Besides, it’ll be easier for me to assist you guys if you’re all together. After all, no road is long with good company!”

“I certainly don’t mind. If anything, it would be more of a benefit to us, having your skills on our side,” Shogo mused.

“Seeeeee? What’d I tell you?!” Aria grinned, moving so that she was right in front of the woman’s face.

“Yeah, yeah…” The woman placed her hand on top of Aria’s head to push her down. “If the meeting with your friends goes well, I guess I’ll join.”

“Glad that’s settled. Come on in; I’m sure everyone’ll be excited to meet you.” Shogo began opening the door. “Welcome to the Go-Home Club.”

“Wait!” At her exclamation, Shogo paused. The woman grabbed her upper arm and looked at the floor. “They’re not gonna bring up the... _incident_ at the opening ceremony... are they?”

Shogo frowned in thought. “One of them might… but I wouldn’t worry too much about him. He’s a bit of an idiot, but his heart’s in the right place.”

The woman took a deep breath as Shogo opened the door. And they- or rather, _Shogo_ , as the woman had taken to hiding behind him- were immediately greeted by Kashiwaba Kotono.

“Welcome back. That took a while.” She noted.

“A lot happened." Shogo replied simply. "I'll explain more later. But first, let me introduce you to our new member."

The only other guy there, she assumed _he_ was the one Shogo was talking about, didn't take kindly to this decision. "Whaaaat? They're already joinin' the team? That's a pretty presidential decision of you, Shogo."

Another girl spoke up. "Oh, that's a relief! You got me all worried storming off like that from the opening ceremony, Senpai."

_'Too many people are here and oh god the embarrassment and- and-'_

**_'I need you to inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. Can you do that for me?'_ **

_'In-Inhale for four… hold for se-seven… exhale for eight…'_

**_'Good. Keep doing that until you've calmed down. Otherwise Satake-san might decide to headbutt you again.'_ **

_'......... great.'_

By the time she managed to escape her mind again, Shogo was looking back at her and moving out of the way so that the others could introduce themselves.

“My name is Kashiwaba Kotono, but you can just call me Kotono. Nice to meet you.” Kotono smiled.

“Sup, newbie? You’re lookin’ real freaked out, but take it easy! The ass-kickin’ Tomoe Kotaro-sama’s here to help you out!” Kotaro grinned with a thumbs up.

 _‘Oh I_ like _this guy.’_

**_‘Of course you do. Your mannerisms are borderline identical.’_ **

_‘You say that like it’s a bad thing.’_

**_'Should I even dignify that with a response?'_ **

_'You just did but go off I guess.'_

“I’m Shinohara Mifue of Year 1, Class 3! Though… I guess I just graduated earlier today.” Mifue laughed nervously.

The last girl was probably just as nervous if not more so than the woman. “O-Oh, my name is Kagura Suzuna. As with Mifue-chan, I just graduated and became a first year again.”

“Sheesh, those introductions are strange everytime I hear them.” At the woman’s inquisitive look, Shogo elaborated. “Somehow, we’re… stuck, in an endless cycle of school life. No matter what we were in the real world, we’re all high schoolers here… Isn’t it laughable? Nobody ages in this place.”

“Okay it’s very nice to meet all of you but I just have a _mildly_ important question.” The other five stared at her in confusion. “Do _any_ of you happen to know my name?”

Beat.

“How the hell do you not know your own name?” Kotaro asked in amazement.

Her face heated up in her attempt to explain. “L-Look. In my defense, after the whole ‘oh shit this world isn’t real’ situation I… _think_ I suffered from mild amnesia?”

 _‘Yeah, if you can call “remembering everything about_ a _life except your name” mild amnesia.'_

**_'Shush.'_ **

Kotono sighed, looking around the room. "Well if no one else is gonna tell you, I guess I have to." **_'Oh! I finally remembered!'_ ** _'And you couldn't have spared us the embarrassment and remembered_ before _we asked?'_ **_'Be quiet.'_ ** _'So? What's my name?'_

"It's Hasegawa-" **_'Hasegawa-'_ **

"Tsu-" **_'Sa-'_ **

"ba-" **_'ku-'_ **

"-ki." **_'-ra.'_ **

_'Well-'_

**_'Shit.'_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW panic attacks

**_'What the shit what the actual f u c k what do you_** **mean** **_my name is Tsubaki?! There's no way that's right because that would've been the one I remembered, right? Right?!'_ **

_'Hell if I know… if it helps, Sakura rings more bells than Tsubaki does.'_

**_'It doesn't. But thanks.'_ **

_'Always a pleasure!'_

"Is… Is everything alright?" Kotono asked worriedly, as the woman had yet to actually respond out loud.

The woman shook her head and gave a sheepish smile. "Actually, y'know what? I'm kinda having a bit of an identity crisis because I don't think Tsubaki is actually my real name. So uh… if it isn't too much trouble…" Geez, her palms were getting sweaty. "Could you maybe… not, call me that?"

_'If they say no we're leaving this club and finding a way back on our own.'_

**_'Isn't that a bit much?'_ **

_'Listen we're already so damn confused and if going by the name that_ you _remember is the only thing that can make_ us _comfortable right now... if they can't respect that then they're scum.'_

**_'That is… surprisingly smart of you.'_ **

_'I have my moments.'_

"Was there something in mind that you wanted to be called instead?" Kotono asked in return.

**_'New favorite person alert.'_ **

_'Wha- and_ I'm _not? Rude.'_

**_'You don't count because we're literally the same person.'_ **

"Sakura," she responded almost immediately.

"I don't think that will be much of an issue. Right, _President_?" Kotono asked, raising an eyebrow at Shogo.

"Why would it be a problem?" Shogo shot back. "But if that's settled, let's move on to the main topic-"

"Hey, you! Aren't you forgetting somebody super-DUPER important?!" Aria shouted from behind Sakura's back, making the woman flinch at the volume.

The other members of the Go-Home Club looked around in confusion.

"... What was that voice?" Kotono wondered.

Shogo scratched his head. "Uhhh…"

There was a bright flash that blinded everyone in the room as Aria reappeared by Sakura's shoulder.

"Hi everybody! I'm Aria! Don't forget it, okay?!" The virtuadoll grinned as she struck several poses.

"What _is_ that?!" Kotono's jaw dropped. "A f-fairy?!"

"Whoaaa! She's so small! And so cuuute!" Mifue grinned widely.

"Oh… this girl is, um… a virtuadoll." Suzuna explained.

"So, you know about me?" Aria's eyes sparkled with delight. She gave a deep bow as she continued, "Sankyu! Thanks so much!"

"Wait, she's working with µ?! Outta the way, newbie! I'm gonna crush her!" Kotaro roared as he charged at the virtuadoll, who was grabbed by Sakura as the woman spun out of the way.

"Ahhh! What're you doing?! Did I do something wrong?!" Aria cried out as Sakura covered her with her hands, staring hard at Kotaro.

_‘Okay I lied I no longer like this dude.’_

**_‘You’re only saying that because he misunderstood that Aria isn’t our enemy,’_ **

_‘Well_ that _and he’s getting waaaaaay too close for my comfort.’_

**_‘You didn’t seem to mind when Satake-san was this close.’_ **

_‘thERE’S A_ DIFFERENCE _!’_

**_‘Oh? And what would that difference be?’_ **

_‘IN. TENT.’_

Shogo watched everything silently before he sighed. "This is why I wanted to explain everything in due time. Just calm down, everyone.”

Sakura glared at Kotaro as he made a move to get closer. _‘If he takes another step I’m killing him and labeling it as self-defense.’_

 **_‘Highly frowned upon and likely only going to give the other members more reasons_ ** **not** **_to trust you.’_ **

“...Looks like they’re not calming down.” Shogo sighed as he turned towards the woman beside him. “Sorry, I’ll explain it to them. Wait outside.”

**_‘Best course of action, all things considering.’_ **

And so, she waited until Shogo gave her the all-clear to step back into the room.

"Long story short, we're trapped in another world with no idea how to get home. And the only commonality between everyone who’s trapped here is that they heard one of µ’s songs somewhere in the real world.” Shogo explained before giving his full attention to Sakura. “µ’s songs are played all over this city, but be careful. Those Digiheads… If you keep listening to the songs, you’ll go crazy just like them.”

_‘I highly doubt anything is crazier than having two voices in your head that hold council meetings everytime someone says something.’_

“The only thing all of the affected people talk about is µ.”

_‘I stand corrected.’_

“So they’re more like believers in some kinda cult?” Sakura asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

Shogo shrugged. “Something like that. There’s no doubt µ is connected to this world, and it’s our job as the Go-Home Club to figure out how and get home.”

“Your assumptions are spot-on. This place isn’t real, and µ _does_ have something to do with it. She and I…” Aria took a deep breath. “We made Mobius together.”

“You and µ made it?! Then it _is_ your fault!” Kotaro roared. “You bastard!!!”

“One more step and I’m rearranging your kneecaps.”

“Could the two of you calm down? Kotaro, I just explained that _she isn’t our enemy_.”

“How am I s’posed to be calm?! Ain’t it this shorty’s fault we’re trapped here?!” Kotaro glared at Sakura, who was standing in his way of reaching the virtuadoll.

“Ah geez! At least hear out my side of the story first!” Aria puffed out her cheeks in anger, peeking over Sakura’s shoulder. “You’re built big, but you’re really a small, petty person, huh?”

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the minute flinch the boy gave before regaining his steam. “Wh-what did you say?! I ain’t small like you, you little shit!”

Aria scoffed in response. “Oh, pipe down! I’m calling your spirit small, you sissy! S-c-a-r-e-d-y cat!”

“You little… ngh! Who you callin’ prissy?!”

**_‘This is going to go on for forever, isn’t it? It’s honestly a bit tiring to watch them.’_ **

_‘Speak for yourself. This is q u a l i t y entertainment.’_

“I never said that! But I guess you are?” Aria smirked. “I mean, look at how easily annoyed you are.”

“... This bitch… This is what happens when I stay quiet. You better stop right there…” Kotaro snarled under his breath.

“You weren’t quiet at all! I’ll happily take you on!” Aria stuck out her tongue at the male.

“That’s enough!” Shogo roared, interrupting Kotaro’s response. “Just shut your mouths and listen!”

**_‘Thank you for being the voice of reason. I was this close to shutting them up myself.’_ **

_‘You’re forgetting the part where we added to this chaos by threatening Kotaro.’_

**_‘Which I distinctly recall telling you_ ** **not** **_to do.’_ **

_‘And_ that’s _why you’re no fun.’_

“I can kind of understand where Kotaro’s coming from, but let’s hear her out. We finally have a lead here, after all.” Kotono continued from where Shogo left off.

“Th-that’s right!” Mifue smiled nervously. “So, Aria… why’d you do such a thing in the first place?”

Aria sobered as she floated towards the girl. “There are so many people who carry their troubles around with them… I wanted to bring them all happiness… But then µ began trapping people’s souls. As µ’s becomes greater, my power and body become smaller… I don’t know what’s what anymore…”

 _‘That’s, uh,_ mildly _problematic.’_

 **_‘What gave you_ ** **that** **_idea?’_ **

_‘I_ really _don’t like your tone there.’_

“Hey, I can persuade her to let you all go back home. Please, help me find µ! She’s honestly really nice!” Aria faced all of the members and gave a deep bow.

“At this point, I couldn’t care less why µ has decided to trap us humans in this world. All that matters is that everyone here wishes to go back to their actual homes. The same holds true for you, yes?” Shogo looked at Sakura, raising an eyebrow.

_‘How do I explain that the home I remember is long gone by now?’_

**_‘Well the current version of you_** **must** **_have a home outside of this world. But that’s strange… I remember nothing of the new you.’_ **

_‘Then that’s our reason for returning to the real world, isn’t it. So_ you _can get your memories back. It seems hardly fair that I remember everything about my life but you don’t.’_

Kotono sighed. “It’s all so confusing. I think we need to find µ to escape… I’ll help, though… We don’t have time to waste.”

“Me too!” Mifue grinned. “This place is pretty fun, and it has tons of delicious food… but we have to get back home!”

Suzuna let out a squeak when everyone’s attention turned towards her. “Oh, I-I-I’ll do my best as well!”

“My mind’s already made up. What about you, Kotaro? Do you plan on overlooking such a major lead?”

Kotaro tsked in annoyance. “I guess I don’t got a choice. You’ll prolly all be helpless without me… so sure, I’ll lend a hand!”

“Glad that’s decided. Aria, do you have any clue as to where µ is?” Sakura asked the small virtuadoll. “Anything would help.”

Aria ‘hm’ed in consideration. “I think the fastest way is to find the ones called the Ostinato Musicians. They’re the popular Doll-P that write songs for µ. Their songs and µ’s singing draw out the power that maintains Mobius. If we can find them, we should be able to find µ!”

“Ostinato Musicians… Well, where can people with such an extravagant name be found?” Shogo asked, tilting his head to look at Aria and Sakura.

“They’re people from the real world, just like you guys. That means they’re students of this high school too.” Aria mused.

_‘So they could be here right now?’_

**_‘I don’t think their hideout will be out in the open like this.’_ **

_‘Y’know what I hate that you’re probably right.’_

Shogo hummed, going down the same train of thought. “It might be faster than looking for µ without any leads, even if they do eventually lead to a dead end.”

“Understood.” Kotono nodded. “In that case, let’s split up and look around. I’m sure we’d seem suspicious if we were one big group.”

“Alright. Me, the newbie, and Kotono will be one group, and Kotaro, Mifue, and Suzuna will be the other.” Shogo declared before they all left the clubroom.

They, as a large group, walked down the hall before the intercom blared to life, playing the beginning of a song.

“What _is_ this song…?” Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Aria perked up in recognition, flying to the front of the group. “This… This is one of Kagi-P’s!”

“It’s pretty… but it feels as though the atmosphere in here has changed somehow.” Suzuna frowned.

“That’s right.” Aria nodded. “When the brainwashed Digiheads hear a Musician’s song, they resonate and become even more violent.”

Kotono faced the club president. “But that it’s started playing now, of all times...”

“It’s possible that someone provoked the Digiheads and is trying to capture the newbies that came back to the school.” Shogo supplied.

_‘Oh great. That’s a new problem we gotta deal with.’_

**_‘On the plus side…’_ **

“Then it’s most likely Kagi-P himself. At least him being in the building saves us some trouble.” Sakura shrugged.

“Hey, Sakura, you have a cellphone, right?” Shogo turned towards the woman, holding out his hand. “The Go-Home Club has a chat room going, so tell me your WIRE ID.”

 _‘Hey, uh, quick question what the_ fuck _is a phone?’_

"You… _are_ aware of the app, right? The one where you can chat with everyone in the group that you register?" Kotono asked worriedly, as Sakura had yet to respond.

"Give me a hot second I'm trying to remember what a phone is."

**_‘A phone is kind of like a one-stop-shop for a lot of things. You can talk to other people without having to write them a letter, and if you send them a text message they’ll usually see it and respond to it faster than they do to a letter.’_ **

_‘So you remember what a…_ phone _is but you remember nothing else? Damn.’_

**_'Whatever! Just give Satake-san your phone so he can add you himself.'_ **

_'Hey genius where's the phone.'_

**_'Left skirt pocket.'_ **

After an embarrassingly long time where the group was just staring at her expectantly, Sakura finally fished her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Shogo, who took it with a raised eyebrow

"Look I hardly remember my life outside of Mobius what makes you think I remember something as trivial as A: what a phone is, and B: what my WIRE ID is?"

“Here, let me send you an invite to the Go-Home Club group.” Kotono took Sakura’s phone from Shogo, and typed away at her own phone.

_‘But Shogo-’_

**_‘Kashiwaba-san got to it faster. Is there a reason you wanted_ ** **him** **_to do it?’_ **

_‘... Absolutely none let’s just ignore I said that shall we?’_

“There you go,” Kotono giggled, handing back Sakura’s phone. “Feel free to PM me whenever you like.”

**_‘I’m not into girls but thanks for the offer.’_ **

_‘Speak for yourself girls are_ pretty _. I’m… pretty sure Kotono isn’t my type though.’_

**_‘Oh? And who is?’_ **

“Hey, Aria, you know Sakura’s power? Is there any way the rest of us can learn how to use it?” Shogo asked the virtuadoll, saving the girl from having to answer the other voice in her head.

“Hmm… You guys’re all attached to the real world and know about Mobius, so I’d expect you’d be able to…” Aria frowned. “But I don’t think I can quite answer that right now. Try to avoid getting into any battles without me!”

“...I didn’t think it would be as easy as just asking.” Shogo sighed. “Sorry to ask this of you, but we’ll need your help on this, Sakura.”

**_‘Should I be surprised?’_ **

_‘At this point? Probably not.’_

“Well, then… as the Go-Home Club, we have a job to do.”

“Alright, Kotaro-sama’s team’ll start by searching this side building!” Kotaro clenched his fist in determination.

“Then I guess we’ll be searching the second years’ floor?” Sakura asked, to which Shogo nodded in the affirmative.

“Okay! See you later, Senpai!” Mifue grinned, grabbing Kotaro and Suzuna and starting to walk away.

"We’ll send you a WIRE message if anything important happens.” Suzuna slightly turned to face the other group.

“Make sure you pretend to be a fan who’s hoping to meet Kagi-P. That’s the only way you’ll be able to avoid suspicion.” Shogo advised.

“Alright! If you’re all ready to go, let’s go find Kagi-P!” Aria cheered, clinging to Sakura’s shoulder.

“We should start by talking to people on this floor…” Shogo frowned, looking at the students who wandered the halls.

“Won’t that be dangerous?”

“As long as we pretend to be _his_ fans, we’ll be fine.”

The trio walked around, and Sakura took the chance to get to know the rest of the Go-Home Club. As it would’ve been hard to ask them anything, as half of them were on the other half of school, she decided to give texting them a shot.

“What kind of activities do you usually do?” Granted, she probably could have led with a better question, as Kotono and Shogo both looked at her quizzically, but they eventually answered the group message.

“I dunno…” Shogo shrugged from next to her.

“Geez. Get it together, President.” Kotono bumped Shogo’s shoulder, giving him a teasing grin.

“It’s hard to answer when you’re asked straight out.” Mifue pointed out.

“Umm… We _are_ the Go-Home Club… There isn’t a lot we actually do.”

Sakura snorted, covering her mouth with her free hand.

“Looking forward to working with you.”

“Of course. Let me know if you have any questions.” Kotono smiled.

“We need to tell the newbie all the rules!” She could almost _hear_ Kotaro shouting.

 _‘Wait there are_ rules _?!’_

**_‘Wouldn’t worry too much about it. Look at everyone else’s reactions.’_ **

“I’m sorry… I don’t know the rules either…”

“ _Did_ we have rules?” Mifue asked.

Shogo sighed, pocketing his phone. “Don’t worry about what Kotaro says. Let’s just have fun.”

 _‘Don’t know how looking for µ is fun in_ any _context, but go off I guess.’_

And so Sakura started talking to every single student she could find, some not giving her any kind of answer of where Kagi-P could possibly be, and others straight up telling her to leave them alone, but what she _did_ learn was that everyone in this school was messed up: mentally or otherwise.

Just as she was about to approach another student, Shogo tapped her shoulder.

“Look at that,” he gestured with his head towards a corner, where the three of them peeked into the hallway.

“What’s up- Oh god it’s them.” Sakura groaned, seeing the same guys as from the train station.

“Do you… know them?” Kotono asked in concern.

“Not really, but they’re the reason I can randomly summon pistols,” Sakura frowned. “I can’t believe they turned back into Digiheads so quickly. So, President? What do we do?” She looked up at Shogo.

“It’s a little pathetic, but as of right now you’re the only one who can fend them off… If we can avoid being seen, we can avoid fighting altogether. I’ll leave it to you, Sakura.”

_‘I see how it is. I guess I’ll just fight them all by myself.’_

**_‘I am literally begging you to at least_** **try** **_to be cautious. If you_ ** **die** ** _, you take me with you and I don’t want that.’_ **

_‘I’m considering it.’_

“Both of you stay here. I’ll fight them,” she ordered the two upperclassmen before stepping out into the open.

**_‘Well that didn’t take much consideration did it.’_ **

_‘With how cautious_ you _are they would’ve noticed us sooner or later! This is easy.’_

**_‘That’s- and you’re already done. Damn.’_ **

_‘Like I said: easy.’_

Sakura rotated her head, sighing when she felt a pop in her neck. “Well, there’s a classroom right here. Should we give asking the students inside a shot?”

_‘Even if it’s going to end up exactly the same?’_

“That’s what we’re here for, right?” The three of them entered the classroom, finding a single person- Auchi Masahiro. “Hey-”

Masahiro hung his head as he hunched over, groaning.

“Are… are you okay?” Sakura asked the boy worriedly, stepping closer to him, before Shogo pulled her away sharply. “What’s the big deal?!”

“Do you not see the issue?!” Shogo hissed, drawing her attention to the boy who turned into a Digihead.

_‘Goddamnit is everyone just gonna be a Digihead?!’_

**_‘Given that this is Mobius and everyone is affected by µ? Probably.’_ **

She kicked Masahiro in the head which, for whatever reason, was enough to knock him out of ‘Digihead’ mode.

**_‘...’_ **

_** '...' ** _

_‘...’_

“...” Sakura just stared at the boy who was sprawled onto the floor. “I took care of the Digihead."

“I can’t believe he attacked us out of the blue like that… That’s never happened before. I wonder what’s wrong?” Kotono frowned in dismay.

“It’s because of the Musician’s song,” Shogo replied, also frowning. “If we don’t find him soon, we might end up in serious danger…”

Sakura squinted at the glowing orb surrounded by a kind of black mass, which became visible as they turned the corner outside of the classroom. “What’s that weird… clump?”

“That’s a ‘Soul Remnant.’ They’re the remnants of people’s souls trapped in Mobius,” Aria explained, speaking up for the first time since they began their search.

“That’s… disturbing. You said ‘remnants.’ That used to be a human trapped in Mobius?” Shogo’s face grew dark.

“Yes… Humans whose souls disappear from Mobius for one reason or another. Their lingering will crystallizes like this…” Aria nodded sadly.

“So it’s like their regrets? And the fact that it could just happen to any of us…” Kotono shivered as her face paled. “That’s a terrifying prospect.”

“That being said, it _is_ made of strong enough will to survive alone in Mobius like this. You should be able to use it,” the virtuadoll noted before giving off a small grin. “We’ll probably find similar ones all over Mobius. If you find one, take it with you. It might give you something useful!”

“I’ll use them gratefully, then.” Sakura gaze hardened as she approached the Remnant, lightly touching the clump, drawing back quickly as the clump shrank, the orb turning into wisps that traveled up her arm and into her body through her chest.

And so their search continued, finding a correlation chart organized by rank in the classroom right next door, and running into more Digiheads, to which Shogo gave the younger woman the advice of being careful if she wasn’t going to avoid fights.

“I wish I could help more. Don’t overdo it.” Were his last words of advice before Sakura charged in.

 **_‘Keep this attitude up and both of us will_ ** **die** ** _.’_ **

_‘You worry too much.’_

**_‘This is still the same attitude that-’_ **

_‘Yeah yeah I know “Killed my mom and brother” you_ really _don’t need to remind me again.’_

They continued down the hallway, checking every single classroom before they turned yet another corner and were greeted with the sight of two Digiheads, one of whom looked to be carrying a shield of some kind. Sakura’s hand twitched, and the next thing she knew she had darted back around the corner, out of sight of the Digiheads.

Her gaze was calculative as she peeked around the corner.

“Aria, what are those Digiheads? They look stronger than the ones I’ve been fighting until now.” Sakura asked the virtuadoll.

If Aria noticed any kind of change in composure in the white-haired woman, she didn’t comment on it, and instead replied, “They have an extremely high dependence on Mobius. They’ve long since sacrificed their sanity for strength. Be careful.”

“No choice but to fight…” Shogo sighed. “I’m counting on you, Sakura.”

“I’ll be careful,” she gave the group a soft smile before focusing on the fight, which proved to be more challenging than normal.

“It seems that Digihead was interfering with that Stigma there…” Aria’s eyes widened as she floated towards what appeared to be a Soul Remnant but a lot more spikier.

“How so?” Sakura asked as she winced, rubbing her shoulder.

“Sometimes Stigmas falter and recede when there are powerful Digiheads around,” Aria explained. “But since you defeated the Digihead, we should be able to obtain this Stigma just fine. If it’s powerful enough to attract Digiheads all on its own, you should be able to put it to good use!”

“... Shouldn’t people be reacting more to all the loud fighting Sakura’s been doing?” Shogo asked, to which the woman gave him an unimpressed gaze.

“I’m sure I did that last battle with absolutely no sound, thank you very _much._ ”

“Denizens of Mobius can’t perceive what contradicts the simulation! Catharsis Effects, Digiheads who succumb… To a normal person, it just looks like a small scuffle.”

“No wonder the crowds who come to watch look so... disengaged,” Kotono noted.

“Thank Mobius for that.”

“Oh, I erase bystanders’ memories anyway! Don’t worry about all that. Just keep fighting Digiheads!” Aria cheered, making the trio exchange looks when they had similar thoughts.

“That… doesn’t seem right,” Shogo was the only one who voiced his thoughts out loud.

Nevertheless, they eventually made it to the west wing, where Sakura was bombarded with thoughts that were both her own and yet not. She continued walking, focused on her task as the voices in her head argued.

_‘Mind explaining yourself?’_

**_'Didn't I tell you to be careful?'_ **

_'No, you said to be cautious.'_

**_'... you literally weren't this stupid in your memories what the fuck.'_ **

_'Listen, listen- I died as a teenager, I might as well act like a normal teenager.'_

**_'Teenagers aren't usually this dumb!'_ **

_'Have you_ seen _a modern-day teenager? They're batshit crazy!'_

“Looks like you’ve gotten used to fighting,” Shogo noted, snapping Sakura out of her mental argument.

Aria gave a small yet determined nod. “I shouldn’t be surprised. This is what I saw in you from the beginning. In any case, keep it up and keep defeating them!”

Kotono let out a small sigh. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”

_‘Personally I thought we got this power because Aria was desperate and didn’t feel like taking the time to lead Shogo into a mental breakdown.’_

**_‘And yet she took the time to lead us into a mental breakdown. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.’_ **

And so their search continued, with Shogo being the one to question the students. He left the classroom, shaking his head.

“No leads, huh…” Sakura frowned. “Maybe the others heard something?”

“We should meet up, just in case.”

When they did regroup, Mifue simply gave a thumbs down with a buzzer sound effect while Suzuna and Kotaro shook their heads.

“So none of us gained anything of note…”

“Hey, you!” A female shouted as she barrelled towards the group, heading straight towards Sakura.

The woman took a few steps back as the girl reached forward to grab her shoulders, having a surprisingly tight grip. “You’re from the class next to me, right? Hasegawa Tsubaki?”

“About that-”

“See, I’m researching this rumored Go-Home Club… You know anything?” The girl continued, not letting Sakura finish her sentence. She began shaking the woman. “C’mooooon, you’ve gotta tell me if you know something! I’d realllllllllllllly appreciate it! Well? You have anything?”

_‘I swear to God if this kid doesn’t get her hands off of me in the next five seconds I’m going to-’_

**_‘If you finish that sentence with "actually commit murder" I do hope that you remember that_ ** **I’m** **_currently in control?’_ **

_'Yeah I know can I get my body back???'_

**_'I would trust you more if you didn't literally just threaten someone.'_ **

“Um… Morita-san? Could you please let go? My arms are going numb.” Sakura smiled weakly.

“Naruko-san? Why are you so interested in the Go-Home Club?” Kotono asked as Naruko let go of Sakura, the woman rubbing her shoulders with a hiss.

“Whyyy…?” Naruko blinked. “I guess ‘cause a secret club’s like, mysterious and super cool. Oh, and everyone’s talking about them! ...Senpai, could it be that you have some info on them?”

Kotono rapidly waved a hand in front of her face. “Huh?! I-I don’t know anything… A-anyway! If you’re that into rumors, do you have any details on Kagi-P?”

 **_‘I do hope they weren’t_ ** **this** **_obvious before we joined.’_ **

_‘Ehhh it’ll be fine. As long as no one reveals that she’s actually talking to the Go-Home Club.’_

**_‘Somehow that makes me worry_ ** **more** ** _.’_ **

“Kagi-P? You mean that Doll-P who’s been real popular lately? He’s been getting tons of views on all the video sites! I do some streaming myself, but I don’t think I’m ever gonna get that popular…” Naruko sighed wistfully. “I’m so jealous of him…”

“Morita-san?”

Naruko blinked, snapping out of her daydream. “Whoops, got off-topic… We’re talking about Kagi-P, right? I might know a rumor or two.”

“Really?!” Kotono leapt forward to grab Naruko’s hands, her eyes sparkling. “Could you please tell us?! We all became huge fans after hearing his music!”

_‘...’_

**_‘...’_ **

**_'...'_ **

_‘... Holy fuck that’s terrifying.’_

Naruko grinned. “I will, but only if you tell me about the Go-Home Club in exchange! You guys’re hiding something, I just know it!”

_‘Shit she’s onto us.’_

“W-We’re honestly not…” Kotono stuttered, looking at Sakura and Shogo for assistance.

**_‘... Like you said, as long as no one actually reveals tha-’_ **

“Hold up. You really think the Go-Home Club’s that cool?”

_‘I’m killing him. No one can stop me.’_

**_‘Please don’t. You don’t even know if he’s going to-’_ **

Naruko nodded enthusiastically. “They’re the coolest! Those guys’re super amazing! … Probably. I’ve even heard they know some big secret about this world! I’m soooooooo into them! I bet they’re like, the coolest people everrrrrr!”

_‘You can’t seriously be looking at this situation and think that Kotaro’s going to keep his mouth shut!’_

**_‘Uhhhh… Hmmm…. Let him be.’_ **

_‘wHAT THE FU-’_

**_‘If we have Morita-san on our side it’ll be easier to get the hottest gossip in Mobius.’_ **

_‘And if she backstabs us later by selling us out as being the Go-Home Club?’_

**_‘I know why that scares you, but I promise I'll be the one to take care of it when it happens.’_ **

_‘... I hope you know what you’re doing.’_

**_‘Well one of us has to.’_ **

Kotaro grinned. “That right? Heh, you think we’re _that_ cool? A’ight, here we go!”

 _‘Don’t do anything don’t do anything you_ really _don’t want to end up going to jail in the real world for murder-’_

“Ta-daaaaaaaaaaa! It’s us: the Go-Home Club! Oh, but don’t go tellin’ anyone.” Kotaro blinked at the afterthought.

_‘Still confident in your decision to let him talk?’_

**_‘I mean… he was_ ** **loud** **_but at least no one else seemed to hear him?????’_ **

_‘I hear a wavering in your conviction there… uhhhhhhhh.... What do I call you?’_

**_‘I’ll get back to you on the topic later.’_ **

“Ngh- Kotaro! What the hell are you thinking, you _idiot_?!” Shogo growled.

Naruko rapidly blinked at the influx of information. “Like, no way! Oh. Em. Geee! Hold on, where’s my phone?! I need a selfie of this!”

Shogo approached the girl with murderous intent in his eyes, with a clear goal to take her phone away. “Hey, no pictures!”

“Whoa-hoa! I’m not gonna just hand over my phone! This thing’s even more valuable than my life!” Naruko hissed, holding her phone like it was her child. “So, so, what does the Go-Home Club do?! How many of you are there?! Is everyone here now?! What’s your objective?!”

“GRAHHHHHHHH! You're _really_ getting on my nerves here! I’m telling you, we don’t know any secrets! We’re just a group of friends! More importantly, we told you we need to go look for Kagi-P! Tch, we’re leaving.” Shogo grabbed Sakura’s wrist and started dragging her and the other members off.

**_‘I do hope this isn’t a normal occurrence- Sakura I swear to God if you follow that up with “I see no problem with this,” I_ ** **will** **_kick your ass.’_ **

_‘Pfffft what?! I wasn’t gonna say that at all whatchu talking about?!’_

**_‘You are a disaster human.’_ **

“Ah, wait, wait!” Naruko shouted in alarm, making the group pause. “I have the deets on Kagi-P, for real! I, Morita Naruko, will take you straight to him! C’mon, let’s go!”

The girl grabbed onto Sakura and Shogo, making the former hiss and the latter sigh.

_‘If one more person grabs me without my consent I’m blasting their-’_

**_‘What do you meeeeeeeeeeean?! Oh my god can you be_ lieve** **_the double standards I’m witnessing here?’_ **

**_'Very hypocritical of you, Sakura.'_ **

_‘LIKE I SAID BEFORE IT’S ABOUT THE INTE-’_

**_‘WHAT INTENT?!'_ **

**_'They’re literally doing the same thing!’_ **

“Our destination is the Year 3, Class 4 room! Time to depart!” Naruko cheered.

_‘Wait. Isn’t Kagi-P a first year right now because of the whole loop situation?’_

**_‘Don’t question it. It’s the biggest lead we’ve gotten in this entire school.’_ **

“The Year 3, Class 4 room should be on the third floor of the west building…” Shogo mused. “Kotaro, your group should go investigate other areas in case we don’t find Kagi-P there.”

“Leave it to me!”

**Author's Note:**

> This is an incredibly self-indulgent fic I wrote for somewhat of a niche fandom (in that there's a whopping 25 fics) but I hope that anyone who happens to stumble on this happens to like it!


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